The Big Score: Robert Friedland, Inco, and the Voisey's Bay Hustle

Simply captivating and better written than a Canadian mining story has any right to be. About how a gang of off-beat penny stock mining promoters (led by "Toxic Bob" Friedland, ex-hippie, convicted LSD dealer, alleged environmental disaster perpetrator and one time school chum of Steve Jobs) took some of the world's largest mining companies on a dizzying auction for some desolate caribou pasture that just happened to contain some of the richest ore deposits ever discovered. Bob Friedland is the loadstar of the story: a vain and loathsome character but brilliant as an auctioneer of fear and greed as he escalates the bidding into the stratosphere. This book contains some valuable lessons for executives and the stock buying public. For executives: have your temperature checked regularly for "deal fever": walk away when the bidding gets too intense, you're probably overpaying. For the public: Beware of Toxic Bob's inside tips that to prop up an overvalued stock you need a dynamic impressario with a "good story" and some theatrical "props". Brings to mind certain Silicon Valley impressarios....

The real story that reads better than fiction. The book gives a great background for the current activity that is starting again in one of the largest mineral discoveries in Canada.

Tremendous read for anybody who has an interest in this sector, or for that matter good business books. Good insights on the tactics used in making a deal for a world class deposit (at least in a seller's market). I started yesterday morning and couldn't put it down all day. My wife did make me walk the dog, and I took a few trips to frig, but was so engrossed I finished it all yesterday. That's saying something because I usually only finish about a fourth of the books I start.

I was lucky enough to work on the Voisey's Bay discovery. Jacquie interviewed almost all of the players; she did did an excellent job of catching the excitement we all felt in Labrador during 1994-1995. Her book tends to confirm many "rumors" too.

A fabulously well written story about Robert Friedland and his involvement with the Voisey Bay discovery. Ms McNish does a beautiful job with character development and analogies. I simply couldn't put it down.